In
Oklahoma, the days of March can be filled with enjoyable sunshine or
miserable cold and damp. It's hard to know if you should plan a
picnic or an indoor activity. Fortunately, there are at least two spots
in our state where you and your kids can have fun no matter the
weather. Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse & Adventure Quest and
Jasmine Moran Children's Museum are not your typical museums because
here, you can touch everything.
Jasmine Moran Children's Museum
Based on the same theory as Leonardo's that children learn through
doing, not viewing the Jasmine Moran Children's Museum, located in
Seminole, only an hour from the Metro, provides kids the opportunity to
play at almost every profession. The museum reflects the vision of
Melvin and Jasmine Moran who wanted to bring a museum just for children
to Oklahoma. Fortunately, parents can play right alongside their
children. Admission is free for ages two and under; $7 for kids 3 to
60; $6 for those over 60. Visit the museum's web site or call 800-259-5437 for details about the museum.
Inside Activities
The museum includes a newsroom where kids can be newscasters, weather
forecasters, or talk show hosts. Education Director Betty Smith urges
parents to videotape their new star's first on-camera experience.
Kids will enjoy sitting in the nose piece of a Corvair airplane that
actually juts out of the museum wall the windshield looks out to the
open sky. An audio track takes pretend pilots through take off and
landing, telling them which buttons to push and which way to pull the
steering wheel. At the back of this area is a large aquarium with
possibly the largest captive fish I've ever seen. Children can shop
in the Homeland grocery store or play in the Bubble Zone or on a
full-size fire engine. My daughter loved the hospital area with the
full-size ambulance where kids can be patients or drivers. In the
dentist office, kids can look at X-rays and play with the model teeth
while mom or dad sit in the big chair. There are also construction
areas, a courtroom, a handicapable area, a kid's office, and a large
art space. The new elaborate inside water play area and climbing maze
was my son's favorite spot.
Outside Activities
On a good weather day, take a train ride. Ride for $1 per person
Tuesday-Friday at 11:30am, 1:30 or 3:30pm; Saturday at 1:30 and 3:30pm;
or Sunday at 3:30. Before or after the ride, play in a child-size town,
take in a bicycle safety class, or romp on the large outdoor play
structure.
Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse & Adventure Quest
Although I have never been a big fan of loading small children in the
car for a two-hour drive, Leonardo's, in downtown Enid, is worth
every minute. Make plans to caravan with several friends' the kids
will have a great time going through all the adventure centers with
their buddies. Leonardo's is the brainchild of Helen Garriott and her
astronaut husband, Owen. Children can roam from one adventure center to
another with little supervision because each area is designed with
safety in mind. Leonardo's is open from 10am-5pm Tuesday through
Saturday and 1-5pm on Sunday. Admission for an entire day of
come-and-go fun is free for those under two; $6 for everyone else.
Visit their web site or call 580-253-2787 for more information and a full listing of activities.
Inside Adventures
Based on the theme of Leonardo DiVinci's workshop, the museum
emphasizes hands-on science and art activities. Each area is devoted to
a different theme. There is a medieval market, a pottery room, a puppet
center, a music room, and an office center. In the scientific workshop
called Leonardo's Cave, children can view slides under a microscope,
touch animal bones, watch the chinchillas, and walk through a cave
simulation. The aerospace center was my son's favorite. He sat in the
flight simulator, donated by Vance Air Force Base, and manipulated
every switch and button. At the space shuttle exhibit, children can sit
in space shuttle seats and watch an actual take off from the
perspective of the astronaut. My daughter loved the throne room where
she dressed up in various costumes and performed for a ceiling-mounted
camera so she could see herself on a large television screen. Both kids
worked at the art tables before crawling through the castle tunnel to
the grotto dive shop. Volunteer Coordinator Mollie Babb says kids
really enjoy sending hand-written messages from one side of the museum
to another in pneumatic tubes.
Outside Adventures
Across the street from the warehouse is Leondardo's Adventure Quest.
This large, wood and rope playground houses a pirate ship where
children can climb a tower and run through mazes and an obstacle
course. My favorite area was the dinosaur dig and sand box. Children
can grab a paint brush and work to uncover buried bones, climb on
wooden dinosaurs, or build sand castles. If the weather is particularly
warm, take advantage of the water play area just bring some towels.
Leonardo's has one of the largest telescopes in Oklahoma and the
local astronomy club hosts a night sky viewing every Tuesday night.
Pam is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of
Central Oklahoma. She and her husband Mike have been married for six
years and have traveled Oklahoma with their blended family of five
children.